Roller derby league members robbed at gunpoint

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A Bay Area roller derby league is no longer rolling in cash after two of its members were robbed at gunpoint in the Mission district earlier this month.

The nonprofit Bay Area Derby Girls – a full-contact, flat-track roller derby league – is working with San Francisco cops to catch the “despicable scumbags” who stole thousands of dollars from their members on July 9, skater Katy Lim said.

Click the picture at right to see more Bay Area Derby Girls during the bout before the robbery. The photos were taken by Rick Marr courtesy of Bay Area Derby Girls.

The members had reached their Mission district home following a championship match at the Craneway Pavilion in Richmond when at least two armed thugs rolled up in a car and robbed them at about 11 p.m.

The stolen cash accounted for all the league’s financial reserves, as well as the profit garnered from the Richmond event, Lim said. The money was supposed to pay for future events and the league’s practice venue, she said.

The heartless thieves sped off in the vehicle after the heist. No one was injured.

Lim said this was not a random robbery. She speculated the league members were followed from the event in Richmond, which was a championship bout between the Berkeley Resistance and the Richmond Wrecking Belles.

“There’s no way it was coincidence,” Lim said.

She declined to discuss more details about the robbery, citing an active police investigation.

The league isn’t about to let the thugs get away with it. Officials are working closely with police and are confident the thieves will be caught, Lim said.

“Like the strongest jammers, we do not fall after one hit, and we have no intention of allowing truly despicable scumbags who would steal from a nonprofit organization to stop us from rolling,” Lim said.

The league is now turning to the public, hoping donations will recoup the losses.

“Our fans have been insanely supportive,” Lim said. “We have a lot of crime [in the Bay Area], but also have a lot compassion.”

To support the B.A.D. Girls, donations can be made on the league’s website and also at its Golden Bowl tournament event from Aug.12-14 at the Oakland Convention Center.